


BY 

LINNA M. FERRER 



printed by the boys of 

The Quincy Prevocational Center 

boston public schools 



Copyright, 1921 
By LINNA M. FERRER 



All Rights Reserved 






iBabhi|0 iteam 



BY 



LINNA M. FERRER 

f1 



printed by the boys of 

The Quincy Prevocational Center 

boston public schools 









Cast of Characters 




MISS JONES, a 


teacher of Grad 


le4 


BOBBY SMITH, 


, a pupil 




SCISSORS 






RULER 






PENCIL 






COMPASSES 







Setting 

A school-room with Bobby at desk 
Time: Close of afternoon session 
Usual school properties: 

Large Scissors I 

24-inch Rule > Made of cardboard 

Large Pencil J 



3 "lohba'a ircam" 

ei As the curtain goes up or action commences, Bobby is at 

^ his desk on which are spread materials for a lesson in Man- 

it ual Training. He is swinging a pair of scissors on his compasses. 

MISS JONES. Bobby, I'm surprised at you. You may put 
your materials in their boxes. [He does so, then resumes 
seat.] You might hurt yourself or another Uttle playmate 
doing such a trick. Besides, think how you'd feel if you 
were a nice pair of scissors or a pair of compasses, and a 
naughty boy treated you so when you were trying to help 
him. Just hide your head and think how they must feel. 
Then when Miss Jones returns from the files you can tell 
her what you'd do to that boy if you were in their places; 
[She goes out leaving Bobby with head buried in his arms.] 
Silence for a few moments when: 

SCISSORS [slowly rising and beckoning.] Pst! Ruler! Pencil! 
Compasses! [As its name is called, each tool leaves its 
home and nears Scissors.] Let's not stand any more of 
that Bobby's nonsense. Let's strike! 

COMPASSES [in disgust.] Strike! Huh! a lot of good that 
would do! 

RULER. That's a crazy idea ! He'd be tickled to death if 
we wouldn't work. Don't you remember last week how 
he avoided his arithmetic lesson when he told Miss Jones 
he'd broken his pencil and couldn't find his ruler? Why, 
he put me in his portfolio and then bit off his pencil on 
purpose. I heard him tell Tommy Tucker so. Strike 
nothing! We've got to think up something better than 
that. 

PENCIL. Something's got to be done. I almost hate that boy 
Do you know what he does to me? He uses me as a 
teething-ring, and he's nine years old!! My skin looks as 
though I'd had the small-pox. And my shape— well, I'll 
never be the same again since he gashed my sides. A 
cripple for life and all on account of that boy! 



COMPASSES. I'm sorry for you, Pencil, but he's treated me 
just as badly. You know my lovely fine point that I was 
so proud of? He used me to punch holes in a pile of papers, 
just to see how many I could pierce at once. Then he 
actually used me for a tooth-pick! Imagine that! 

RULER. When I was born 1 had the shiniest, cleanest face. 
Mother was so proud of me. She always said, "Be straight 
and upright, sonny. Rule honestly, keep clean inside and 
out." How can I give honest measure when that Bobby 
has knocked off my corners? How can my heart be clean 
when I know that my lines are too short? As to a clean 
outside! ! I'm stained even to the very soul with the ink 
that monster has daubed upon me. I feel like a circus 
performer going through his stunts when he gets hold of 
me. Sometimes I'm a tack-hammer; then I'm nothing 
but a stick, for his knife to practise upon; but the worst 
is when he thinks I'm a fencing stick and pokes fat Piggy 
Gordon across the aisle. [Brandishing ruler overhead 
and making lunges,] Ah, then I'd like to kill him!" 

SCISSORS [dodging the warning ruler gives squeaks of 
pain.] E-e-e-e-e! 

ALL. What's the matter, Scissors? 

SCISSORS [still groamng.] E-e-e e-e! My back! O, my poor 
back! Last week I was as well as could be, but Bobby 
would insist on cutting some wire with me and wrenched 
my back terribly. Ever since then I can't move quickly 
without awful agony. 

PENCIL. Why do you suppose he abuses us all so? Doesn't 
he know the dizzy headaches he gives me when he will 
roll me down his desk, and up and down you. Ruler? Can't 
he see that every time he carelessly drops me and breaks 
my lovely lead he is shortening my life, killing me by 
inches? It's murder, I teil you, slow torture and murder! 

COMPASSES. Of course he can see it. Why Miss Jones 
explained to him only last Friday how helpless I am 



when he forgets to tighten my screw. He just pulls me 
all out of joint and strains me to death. Then he says 
I'm no good. He's no good, I say. 

SCISSORS. Yesterday he got cross with me. Said I was 
the dullest thing he'd ever seen. Then he threw me into 
his desk head first. When I recovered from my faint I 
was a nervous wreck. Haven't been able to cut any 
thing but a shaky, unsteady Ime ever since. What 
can we do to teach him a lesson? Come, Pencil, can't you 
give us a point? Ruler, you ought to lay out a good plan. 
Compass, you and I aren't so dull yet that we're useless. 
Think! What can we do? 

[All think hard.1 Silence is broken by: 

RULER. I have it! 

ALL, together. What? 

RULER. Let's give him a dose of his own medicine, fellows. 

COMPASSES. Hooray! 

SCISSORS. That's fine! 

PENCIL. Great! 

RULER. We'll have to act quickly or Miss Jones will be 
back. Arc you ready? Let's go. 

[All rush forward and fall upon Bobby; poking, prodding 
and belaboring him. Bobby stirs in his seat, and groans]. 

MISS JONES'S voice is heard in the hall outside saying: 
'That is a paper to be proud of, Mary. Don't forget to 
show me the next one that looks like that will you, dear? 

PENCIL. S-s-s-t! Here's Miss Jones. Back into your places, 
quick! [All hasten back to their boxes]. 

BOBBY [with head on desk, still dreaming /s moaning in his 
sleep and attempting to fight unseen foes.] "Don't do it 
any more. Please don't. Honest I didn't mean to do it. 
Don't hit me any more. I won't ever do it again. 

MISS JONES [shaking him by the shoulder.] "Wake up, 
Bobby. No one is hurting you." 



BOBBY [arouses, rubs his eyes, gazes uncertainly at her and 
then around to discover his assailants] "Gee, Miss Jones, 
I had an awful dream. I thought all my manual training 
tools were beating the life out of me for the way I've treat- 
ed them. 

MISS JONES [laughing]. You could hardly blame them if they 
did beat you, could you, Bobby? 

BOBBY. Honestly, I didn't realize that I was shortening their 
lives. Miss Jones. I'll remember in future and use them 
fairly as they've used me. Will you please give me another 
chance? And if ever you see me treating a thing rough 
just say *Wake up Bobby' and I'll know what you mean 
and stop, even if the rest of the boys don't. 

MISS JONES. Agreed, Bobby. I think you've learned a les- 
son. And now let's go home or the janitor will be say 
ing to us, 'Are you going to stay here all night?' 

BOBBY,[as they pass out] . Hm! I'd never risk being alone with 
that ruler. It might imagine it was Babe Ruth and I was 
the ball and if that ever happened to me— 
Good night ! 

[Exit]. 



I 



